Health trends are increasingly steering consumers towards healthier food and beverage options that are lower in sugar and artificial sweeteners. Movements such as the recent “month without sugar” and state-level soda taxes have kept sugar reduction at the forefront of consumer awareness. The Food and Drug Administration initially mandated food manufacturers to disclose the grams of added sugars in packaged products as part of a redesigned nutrition facts label, although the deadline for compliance has been postponed. Nevertheless, major food and beverage companies are actively working to cut sugar and other sweeteners from their formulations or to replace these ingredients with healthier, natural alternatives.
Nestlé has developed a method to naturally restructure sugar molecules, allowing for a reduction in sugar intake. The candy giant plans to incorporate this new sugar into its products by 2018, enabling a reduction of up to 40% in sugar content while maintaining sweetness. Stonyfield, the largest organic yogurt producer in the U.S., has also announced plans to decrease added sugars by as much as 40% in some of its product lines.
Soft drink manufacturers are responding by introducing smaller cans and a wider range of low-calorie drinks, many of which utilize stevia, monk fruit, and other natural sweeteners instead of traditional sugar. Companies like Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper Snapple, and PepsiCo have committed to a 20% reduction in the calorie content from sugary beverages consumed by Americans by 2025. Manufacturers such as Pyure have quickly launched various stevia-based products as consumer preferences shift away from sugar. With stevia being 300 times sweeter than sugar and containing zero calories, its natural potency allows brands to use significantly less of the ingredient. Brands like Unilever are incorporating stevia to lower sugar levels in their products without sacrificing taste or texture.
In line with these trends, a Bloomberg report indicated that consumer packaged goods (CPG) producers reduced sugar and salt content in approximately 20% of their products in 2016, responding to the rising demand for healthier options. A survey of 102 CPG companies revealed that 180,000 products were reformulated last year alone—double the number reformulated in 2015. If this trend continues—as all signs suggest it will—the adverse effects on the sugar market, as forecasted in Rabobank’s report, could very well come to fruition.
Interestingly, the emphasis on health and nutrition parallels the growing interest in products like solaray cal mag citrate 1 1 ratio, which reflect consumers’ desire for balanced dietary supplements that support overall well-being. As the market evolves, these trends will likely continue to shape consumer choices and product formulations alike, reinforcing the importance of health-conscious options like solaray cal mag citrate 1 1 ratio in everyday diets.